[3.5] Advices for a newbie Wu Jen?

[Ellye]

I'll be playing a Wu Jen (Complete Arcane) for the first time. I've never seem anyone playing with it, either, so I'm a bit interested in general tips regarding the class. Both mechanical aspects (mainly low level stuff) and roleplay/fluffy aspects.

Thanks in advance.

[Starbuck_II]

I'll be playing a Wu Jen (Complete Arcane) for the first time. I've never seem anyone playing with it, either, so I'm a bit interested in general tips regarding the class. Both mechanical aspects and roleplay/fluffy aspects.

Thanks in advance.

Metal Element Masstery means +2 caster with Metal: you are a good buffer with Greater Magic Weapon.
Metal has a lot of good spells in Complete Mage (so does fire).

Water seems to have the most spells though.

Magic Items:
Buy a Rod of Elemental Might when you can afford 9700 gp. (grants you an additional elemental Mastery).

Spells:
I love Snake darts.

[gallagher]

I'll be playing a Wu Jen (Complete Arcane) for the first time. I've never seem anyone playing with it, either, so I'm a bit interested in general tips regarding the class. Both mechanical aspects (mainly low level stuff) and roleplay/fluffy aspects.

Thanks in advance.

people will probably tell you to just play a wizard specializing in a certain element of spells, take the feat that allows you to change the elemental type, but that is cheap and easy, and it is more fun to play harder characters IMHO

part of the mechanics is indeed the fluff. the things that you do not allow yourself, like red meat, i forget the word for it, plays well into your character. choose things to deny yourself that would make a big difference, like deny the use of a certain material, never let someone else pay for anything (which since it is asian themed character, you would be surprised how hard it is to pick up a check in japan). never sleep in the same room as someone, never be around a campfire, interesting things like that.

ooo, you could get a bag of holding and never have a coin that isnt a copper, because you deny yourself gold and silver.

[PId6]

If you're going to be playing a Wu Jen, make sure you maximize their strengths in ways that other casters (i.e. wizard) can't. Giant Size is by far their best unique spell, so definitely pick that when you can. Body Outside Body is great fun too, if you get some SLAs from Archmage first. Iron Scarf is also a personal favorite, though it's nowhere near the power of the other two.

Make sure to ask your DM to allow fitting spells from the Spell Compendium (it even recommends that in the book). Wu Jen really suffers from lack of support, so anything you can do to add more support would be very helpful.

[Thrice Dead Cat]

If you're going to be playing a Wu Jen, make sure you maximize their strengths in ways that other casters (i.e. wizard) can't. Giant Size is by far their best unique spell, so definitely pick that when you can. Body Outside Body is great fun too, if you get some SLAs from Archmage first. Iron Scarf is also a personal favorite, though it's nowhere near the power of the other two.

Make sure to ask your DM to allow fitting spells from the Spell Compendium (it even recommends that in the book). Wu Jen really suffers from lack of support, so anything you can do to add more support would be very helpful.

This makes for an interesting gish, but that may not be exactly what you want. Definitely check with your DM to add spells from Spell Compendium to your list, though.

[gbprime]

You'll have some unique capabilities that can be put to party use, and some of the feats available to other casters take on new meanings when put in a 1-2 combo with a Wu Jen ability, so cleverness pays.

The one Wu Jen I've seen in action spent feats later in game to acquire a Pseudodragon familiar. Then she cast Giant Size on it. And we thought that pseudodragon had an ego BEFORE!

[Maho-Tsukai]

Well, I'm not a great optimizer, but I certainly know the Asian classes, as you can guess from my username. A Wu-Jen is similar to a wizard except with a much smaller spell list. While I am more familiar with the shugenja then the Wu-Jen, what I can tell you is that since you get a more limited spell list, it would be wise to look over the list and try and think of creative ways to use your spells. Wizards get tons of options spell wise. You however, have significantly less, but that just means you have to learn to do more with what your given. While I'm not sure it's on the Wu-Jen list, a spell like shatter has many creative uses, one of my personal favorite being destroying the shoes on horses, making mounted enemies and chairots useless, and of course the destroying of holy symbols.(That's for getting animate dead one level before I do!)

While that spell most likely is not on the wu-jen list, it's just an example of what I'm trying to say. Any class with full spellcasting can be awesome. While some are easier to abuse then others, all spellcasters have some tricks up their sleeve, and when playing a spellcaster it's best to look over your spells and get creative. Also, you should have a clear vision of what you want your character to do. For a Wu-Jen, your function depends on your element. Want to buff the party? Pick up metal. Want to do some blasting? Try fire. In the end, as with any spellcaster, you should pick a roll in the party and try and fill it the best you can while not eliminating the options you have as a spellcaster. Become too focused on a roll and you get classes like the Healer and Warmage who can only really do one thing, despite being full casters.

As for RPing? There has already been some good tips given. Wu-Jen Taboos can make for great RP opportunites, so pick something interesting. I also highly suggest you make some homebrew taboos to pass by your DM. While Complete mage has some good ones, there is just so much you can do with that aspect of the class. If you want you can even become the party's comic relief and pick ridiculous taboos. After all, comedic characters are always memorable in a game like D&D where plotlines tend to be serious and action-y. However, if you want to have a more serious character, thats fine as well.

Also, since your going with an Asian class, if your not playing an OA game you better have a good reason for an Asian class to be in a setting with a more western European feeling. Write a backstory about how your traveler came to the setting. Perhaps he/she was riding on a junk when the seas turned against him/her and he/she landed in a strange land. Perhaps he/she was the son/daughter of an Asian merchant who sells to the main setting and was taken hostage by a lord who wanted to extort riches from said merchant, but your character escaped the clutches of said lord.

There are many ways to integrate an Asian character into a more western setting, but if you are in a more western setting, you really should make a reason for your character to be there, he/she would just seam out of place otherwise.

Also, yes, I'm back. My computer went to the hells and fought Asmodeus but now it's back, and thus so am I.

[Fax Celestis]

Metal Element Masstery means +2 caster with Metal: you are a good buffer with Greater Magic Weapon.
Metal has a lot of good spells in Complete Mage (so does fire).

Metal also gets the wonderful x scarf line of spells, including decapitating scarf.

[PId6]

This makes for an interesting gish, but that may not be exactly what you want. Definitely check with your DM to add spells from Spell Compendium to your list, though.

Giant Size doesn't necessarily mean gish. The bonuses it gives are so huge that you don't need any special focus to be decent in melee (kinda like Polymorph). And it's even better if you take Obtain Familiar and then Share Spells with it. It's just an amazing spell in general.

Metal also gets the wonderful x scarf line of spells, including decapitating scarf.

Best spell name ever.

[Ellye]

Some nice tips and ideas, thanks.
Taboos really seem fit for nice RPing moments and potential comic relief. Maybe I'll change the one that I had choosen (she wouldn't wear shoes, one of the many reflex of not being used to civilization - but I'm afraid that this could become a true hinderance), but maybe I'll keep it and add new interesting ones later.

[Vizzerdrix]

I've always had issue with that taboo. Gimping a magic item slot for flavor is dirty pool. Granted, anklets are still good, but that still limits the slot in an uncomfortable manner.

[Endarire]

A Wizard gets far more support than a Wu Jen. Even if a Wu Jen gets every Wizard spell with an element descriptor, that's still small compared to the Wizard's versatility.

[Vaynor]

This makes for an interesting gish, but that may not be exactly what you want. Definitely check with your DM to add spells from Spell Compendium to your list, though.

Speaking of gish, here's a PrC I made for the latest PrC contest for metal-focused wu jen: blade dancer.